Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-10-14
Truck Farming

does not, like regular gardener grow
curly vegetables under glass, or at
temp. to grow great variety. BY ju-
dicious management one can by truck
/ ing, support family on very few
acres of land, and by so doing largely
/ increase his independence, and be able
/ TO bring up his children to habits of IN
/ dustry and with much better surround
ing than would lee possible in town or
city. To make truck farming a success
one should locate if possible, convent
cnt to town or village that will fur
nish market for the produce, and al
50 enable him to get manure as con-
vcncntly and cheaply rs possible.
There are hundreds of towns with n
/ population Of from l, 900 to 5000, near
which good land can be had cheaply,
and where all the manure needed
could be had for the taking,
and where BY little effort a
/ good market could be establish
ed for the products OF the garden.
If possibe-by the way of building
association or in some other way
buy the land. If you cannot buy lease
for as long a term OF years rs you can,
with the privilege of buying at fixed
price at the expiration of the lease. No
one can afford to improve "A piece of
land SO as to get it into good garden
condition on two or three years
lease. 1t is wise to start with crops
that are easily grown and that you are
famil mr. W tn the management OF, and
at the same time experiment with 9TH
ers. Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes,
sweet corn, tomatoes, nutmeg melons.
cucumbers for pickles, Lima beans,
cabbages and turnips, are all good
trucking crops. and any one OF them
under favorable circumstances can be
made to pay 500 and upwards TO the
acre, if grown on highly manured
land and given thorough cultivation.
1t will often be profitable in conduct
ING truck farm to connect diarying
with it, the COWS to be kept up and
soiled and fed literally with bran, so
As to make a large quantity Of valuable
manure. An acre of sweet corn will
under proper management, produce
one thousand dozen ears for market.
and furnish all the green food needed
for five COWS for month. The great
profit from corn will come from the
very early and very late crops, and
crop Of squashes can be grown after
the early corn, while the late crop can
be planted after early peas and
some other vegetables. Ii straw
berries are grown on the farm. there
Will usually be an old bed to pillow up
each year. and this will be an excel
lent place for late corn. have plant
ed an old bed in corn about July 4.
every year FOR many years, and have
never failed to get good supply OF
roasting ears from this late planting
/ Cabbage may be grown after the
early potatoes if the land is made
very rich, for heavy manuring and
/ early and constant cultivation will
/ greatly advance the maturity of the
crop. In disposinE Of ~ early crop,
/ especially if the land Is wanted to
grow second crop one should
watch the market closely and push
all of the crop that the market will
bear just as soon a. it will do. A
| difference Of two days in marketing q
crop of early potatoes may reduce the
/ price one-half. Ii one dollar or more
per bushel or more can be had for
potatoes. it will not pay TO wait for
them to be full-grown, when the price
may be down to 30 or 30 cents.
The requisites for profitable crop of
potatoes are rich sol, thoroughly,
pulvcrized, early and rather deep plant
ing and thorough cultivate when
young. Early potatoes make so quickly
that there is no time to ne glect them,
and they ought to be cultivated twice a
week from the time they can be seen
/ in the row till they blossom. The same
is true of early corn. and in fact OF all
quick maturing crops; the shorter the
time in which they mature, the richer
the land should be, and the more cons
tant and thorough the cultivation.
Many men find it easier to grow
vegetables than to sell them. Unless
you are near wholesale market
where you can sell by the barrel. it
is best that YOU dispense with the
"middle man" and deliver your vege-
tables fresh to the consumers. Per-
haps the best way is to notify them
by printed card or circular that
YOU will call at their houses on GER
tain days of the week. Take only
good vegetables, or if any are inferior
tell your customers 80 candidly, and
sell them at less price. Do not try
to smuggle a half-peck Of small POI
tstoes in the middle of the measure. or
one or two imperfect ears of corn into
each dozen. What you may make by